Apparatus for producing small cubes of ice



Jan. 20, 1931.

M. J. uLlNE APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SMALL CUBES OF ICE Filed June 254. 192

2 sheets-shet 1 Z4 Q ,6 l y t Za JNVENToR. 7|@ UM l" ,wwf/WM Z/j if/k i VZ, ATTORNEY.

Jan. zo, 1931. Y M. J. ULINE APPARATUS FOR PRODUGING SMALL C'UBES OF ICE Filed June 25. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .Vd y l/ j ATTORNEY.

'15 upon or within the yatented dan. i931 MICHIEL a'. ULINE, or Tennno,

HUDSON, NEW Yonx,

"STATES omo,4 AssIeNon 'ro A eoRronArioN or NEW Yonx tisane GirroRD-Woon COMPANY, or

.APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SMALL CUBES OF GE Application ined Jane 2.5,l

i This invention relates to a simple and eilicient apparatus for dividing a cake of ice intol a plurality of small cubes suitable for table use. rlhe device is particularly adapted for use in hotels, clubs, lunch rooms and the like Where small lumps of ice of uniform size are desired.

Ain object of the invention therefore is to produce these uniform small size cubes Without undue loss of ice and avoiding. the use of expensive molding or cutting devices.

Another object of the invention is to pro-I vide a device of this kind which will be automatic after placing the cake of ice initially dividing mechanism and utilizing the weight of the mass ot' -ice to tilt the device and automatically discharge the small cubical lumps into a suitable receiving receptacle. rlhe device is preferably operated zo with hot water or steam although electric heating means can be employed if so desired.

1n accordance with the invention, I contemplate providing an ice receiving receptacle open at the top, and at one side, arranging a series of heated sub-dividing rods across the top of the receptacle, preferably at right angles to each other, and also a series of heated rods in parallel order across the open side of the receptacle, said receptacle being pivoted eccentrically at its opposite ends and provided with means for normallyholding said receptacle in horizontal position, said means being releasable by the weight of the mass of ice for thepurpose of automatically tilting the receptacle to discharge the small cubical particles of ice into a suitable receptacle.

lln the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Fig. 1 is a sid'e elevation of an apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 atop lan view of the same; Figs?) is a side view and ig.

4 is a detail perspective view illustrating the heated rods and pipes connected thereto for supplying the heating medium.

lin carrying out my invention; I employ 'a receptacle 10, rectangular in shape, and of an convenient size suitable for receiving an or inary'calre of ice.

rlhis receptacle is open at the top and also" 50 at one side thereof `and across'the top arinsulated,

1928. Serial No. 287,934.

range a series of heated rods 11, preferably'at right angles to each other as shown. These rods are tubular for the passage of the heating medium and are united to the pipes or tubes 12 and 12u which extend around the top edges of the kreceptacle 10. Thesey pipes 12 and 12a are somewhat larger in diameter than the tubular rods -11 so that the said tubular rods can be arranged to cross each other and still have their ends connected with the inlet SUPPLY Pipes 12 and 12a. i p

Across the open side of the receptacle` there are also arranged heated rods 13 tubular in form and connectedto downwardly extending pipes 14, one of. which in turn is united to the pipe 12?. One of these pipes 14 is closed at its lower end while the other one is extended and provided with connection 15 for carr` ing o water. The inlet pipe'12 is provided with a hose connection 1G to which a hose can be attached and this hose in turn can be connected to the hot water spigot or any suitable hot water or steam supply. Ii' desired, the tubular rods could be provided with an electric heating element properly arranged therein and but as an inexpensive device, I have foundthat the tubular rods supplied with either hot water or steam are very eilicient for the purposes intended.

The receptacle 10 is provided with truna hose i nions V17v at each end, and in connection with one'or both of these trunnions, l employ a plate 18 having shoulders or lugs 19 and 20" produced thereon. The trunnions 17 are journaled in suitable standards 2l, and connected to one or both of the standards is an elbow lever 22. The upper end oi' the lever engages the shoulder or lug 19 of the plate 18 when the receptacle 10 is in a horizontal position, and /the lugor shoulder 20 when the receptacle 10 is tilted to 90 for the purratchet catch for the receptacle 10,*- which is 'pose of discharging the ice cubes therefrom.

\ bow lever 22 isl a pressure bar v24 which extends up into, the bottom of the receptacle and when the ice descends between .the

crossed heated bars 11 and finally reaches thebottom of the receptacle, the weight of this Y tacle down divided is placed 4the receptacle and ice upon the pressure bar forces the, said bar downwardly, turning the elbow lever upon its pivot and throwing its upper end out of engagement with the-lug or shoulder 19. The pivots or trunnions 17 are placed to one side of the vertical center of the receptacle and remote from the open side thereof, so that, the receptacle 10 with the weight of the ice thereiinbeing relieved of support, will tilt so as to bring the open side of the recepto the lowermost position (shown in dotted' lines Fig. 1), and the upper end of the elbow lever engaging the stop or lug 20 will support the receptacle in this turned or tilted position; v

In operation the cake of ice to be sub-4 u on the crossed heated rods 11, it-being undlerstood that the receptacle is at that time'in a horizontal position and that the su ply pipe 12 is connected withl any suitable hid heating medium which passes through the tubular rods 11 and 13. The cake of ice being placed upon'the crossed heated rods will radually pass downwardly into the receptac e, the heated rods melting the ice by contact therewith and in this manner the entire cake of ice passes down into in so doing is sub-divided into a series of rectangular shaped prisms. When the mass of ice reaches the bottom of the receptacle it presses upon the pressure bar tripping the. elbow lever and releasing the support. The receptacle being overbal- `b anced will immediately turn throu h an angle of 90' bringing the open side owermost, and inasmuch as this open side has theA heated bars extendingacross in parallel order the rectangular shaped prisms of ice will by their ownweight move downwardly and by. the melting action of the parallel heated bars be sub-divided in turn 1nto a plurality of cubes, these cubes dropping out at the bottom into a suitable receiving receptacle arranged beneath -the ice cake receiving receptacle.

- It will thus be seen that I provide an exceedingly simple device, construction and exceedingly easy and convenientr in oper-ation as it is only necessary to set the receptacle in horizontal position,l turn on the fluid heating medium and place the cake of ice to be sub-divided upon the crossed heated. bars at the top of the receptacle. The bars being heated melt their `way through the ice in one direction; and the weight'/ of the ice tipping the receptacle, causes the second series'of heated bars to melt their way throu h the divided portions of the icev in the ot erv direction. 1 In this Iplaced at the open `rods inexpensive in Jat the side remote from the ivot,

said receptacle,

order to cut either large or small cubes as 1 desired. The crossed rods could also be side, at the top if-so desired, exactly the same.

Having thus describedmy invention, what I claim is:

1. A. device for`\cutting a cake of ice into cubes comprising a receptacle lhaving heated arranged at right angles toxeach other across the top thereoi and upon which the Yice to be `cut rests, and a series of parallel rods arranged across an open side of said receptacle, said receptacle being tiltable through 90 to bring the open side of said rece tacle at the bottom whereby the ice,'cut into a series of elongated rectangular shaped prisms, will be cut into' a plurality vof substantially cubical pieces.

2. A device for cutting a cake of ice into cubes comprising a tiltable receptacle having an open side, means for tacle initially with said Y said means being releasable to permit the receptacle to. tilt" and bring the said opening at the bottom, said receptacle having a parallel series of heating rods extending across the final action being ice is quickly sub' Vholding said recepopening at the side,

and the parallel rods said opening at theside, there 4being heating i rods arranged at right angles to each other across the top ofsaidreceptacle.

3. A device for cutting a cake of ice` into cubes comprising a receptacle having pivots at its ends, meins for mounting said recep, tacle in a horizontal eing open at its top and `at one side, heated rods arranged at the upper end of said receptacle heated rods arranged across the open side of said rece tacle, said receptacle being so pivoted that w en the holding means are released, said receptacle lwill tilt bringing its open side at the bottom for the purpose specified. I v

4. Al device for cuttinga cake of ice into cubes, comprising a receptacle pivoted at its ends, said pivots being arranged at one side of the vertical center of said receptacle, said receptaclebein'g open at the to and also lieated' rods arranged across the top o heated rods arranged across the open side of said receptacle, one set of such rods being arranged at right angles to each other, the other set being arallel, means for holdin said receptaclein a horizontal position, sai

means being releasableby the weight of the i'ce Vdescending upon the bottom lof said receptacle, said receptaclejbeing.tiltableyupon -the releaseof said holding means to bring the f open side pontile bottomfor the purpose specified. g. I l ,5,

position, said receptacle 5. The combination with a receptacle, pivoted at its ends, Isaid pivots being arranged at one side of the vertical center of said receptacle, of weight released means for holding said receptacle in a horizontal position,

the normal upper end of said receptacle being open and having a series of heated rods A arranged across said upper end and upon which the cake of ice is placed, said receptacle being also open at the side remote from the pivots, and a series of heated rods arranged y across said open side, one of said series of rods being arranged at right angles to each other,-the cake of ice descending into the remceptacle, tripping the-holding means said receptacle tilting u' n the release 012: .said holdin means and ringing said open side at the ottom, the cake of ice then emerging from said open side at the bottom in the form of cubes. 6. In a device of the kind described, a receptacle open at the top and at one side, a l heated grid arranged across the top and parallel heated bars arranged across the open side, said receptacle being eccentrically pivfJ oted, means for maintaining said rece tacle in ahorizontal position, said meansx eing releasable by the weight of the ice descending into'the receptacle. so 7. In a device of the kind described, a rei ceptacle having an open top and ope-n at one side, said receptacle beingz pivoted eccentrically, means for holding `vsaid receptacle ina horizontall position, means for releasing said holding means, a heated grid arranged across one open'portion ofthe receptacle and parallel heated rods arranged across the lther open portion of the receptacle. In testimony whereof, I hereunto aix my 40 signature. s

' l `MICHIEL. J. ULINE. 

